


Tour Guide AU

by nightsisterkaris



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Beijing tour guide AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-07-28 02:51:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16232699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsisterkaris/pseuds/nightsisterkaris
Summary: Phil is a journalist for Travel Magazine, and Melinda May is the Tour Guide from Beijing who's going to show him China and help with his article.'The curtains to his hotel room had lost their midday glow, and he jumped up to part them.Only to be greeted by the lovely view of nighttime Beijing.Phil muttered several words under his breath that his mother would have slapped him for.Glancing at the clock, he was supposed to meet his guide FOUR HOURS AGO.'





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt that i came up with a while ago, and gave to the amazing P.H.I.L.I.N.D.A. Prompts tumblr account. But it started nagging me in the back of my head, and I knew a fic was comin', so I wrote it. Enjoy! -nightsisterkaris
> 
> \--------- -:x:- --------

\--------- -:x:- --------

Exaustedly stepping off the plane, Travel Magazine reporter Phil Coulson moved through the enormous airport. The signs were thankfully in both Chinese and English, and Phil did his best to navigate his way around. Presenting his passport for entry into China, he waited patiently as the security officials cleared him, letting him in. 

Once he had his suitcase, Phil hailed a taxi, and stumbled through the few words in Chinese that he had learned prior to the trip as he requested transportation to his hotel. Beijing was crowded, the afternoon sun beating down on his jetlagged mind and body. It was the middle of the night at home! 

Hastely making a few notes for his planned article, Phil paid the taxi fee and lugged his suitcase onto the sidewalk. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the packed slabs of concrete, and entered into the freezing air conditioning. Glancing around for the tour guide that he had made arrangements with online, Phil remembered her picture. The woman had seemed no-nonsence, and like she knew her job. (Her resume/discription thingy was impressive too, speaking seven languages and promising a well given tour) 

His suitcase jumped as it rolled over the grouted tile floors, and he quickly checked in with an English speaking desk worker. Receiving his room key, he made one more glance to the lobby where he and his guide had agreed to meet and get acquainted before going out to see some of the city.

Taking the elevator up, Phil quickly found his room, and set his luggage on the couch before flopping back against the bed. He was soooo tired. He'd been awake for over twenty hours....

WHAT TIME WAS IT?!?!?! Taking a deep breath, Phil opened his eyes. How long have he been dozing?!?! The curtains to his hotel room had lost their midday glow, and he jumped up to part them. 

Only to be greeted by the lovely view of nighttime Beijing.

Phil muttered several words under his breath that his mother would have slapped him for. 

Glancing at the clock, he was supposed to meet his guide FOUR HOURS AGO.

Phil despritly tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his shirt, and grab his key card and notepad before racing from his room and down to the lobby.

A lone woman sat on one of the the couch, one hand holding up a paper sign with 'Phil Coulson' scrawled on it with quick -yet neat- handwriting, the other holding her phone in her lap, where she scrolled the screen.

"Uh, hi, I'm sorry... I'm Phil." He stuttered, walking over. 

She looked up, lowered the sign, and he could tell raised an eyebrow. "It's nine o'clock."

"Yeah." He sighed, and she looked up.

She was gorgeous.

Like, wow. Dark hair swirled around her face, and settled just below her shoulders. Her eyes made him freeze, like they could change in a instant, light up with laughter, shine with passion, or stare him down. He wanted to be her friend, get to know her. He wanted to be able to hug her whenever he wanted. He also wanted to stop sounding like a late night romance novel.

She forced a smile, and Phil went tounge-tied. He hopes that he really did say "My names Phil" instead of nonsense.

The woman kept the forced smile, and nodded, before offering her hand. "Call me Melinda. May works too." She said coldly.

Phil awkwardly shook her hand, and Melinda stood up, and started walking to the door. 

"You coming?" She forced another smile and turned on some kind of fake peppy mood.

"Uh, yeah." Phil scrambled to her side, and followed her out the door. "Where are we going?" He asked, and she turned onto the still crowded sidewalk. 

Phil had to dart to keep up with her, and Melinda wove through the crowd with ease, and Phil caught on, catching up. "We're going to to dinner." She said, and he knew she guessed what happened to his afternoon.

Phil followed diligently, and they finally made it to a spot where Melinda stopped. Phil almost ran into her, and she smiled as she reached for the door. Phil wanted to be a gentleman though, and their hands brushed, sending shivers up his arms as she nodded that he go first. Phil gave up, and entered the restaurant.

They were quickly given a table, and Melinda took over until the waiter asked for their drink orders. "Water, please." Phil said, and Melinda smirked for some reason, and the waiter disappeared after leaving them some menus. 

Their drinks appeared several moments later, and Phil frowned slightly at the teacup filled with steaming water, and Melinda's tea.

She looked at his reaction, and asked, "what's wrong?"

"It's hot." He referenced to the cup.

"You asked for water, right?" She smirked again. "Here, in China, you need to specify your preferred temperature, so that they don't assume that you want tea water." She explained.

Once they had ordered their food, with Melinda's suggestion for his dish, "a mild dish for a mild American", as she put it, they settled down for the small talk.

"So, you here on vacation? You have no family will you." Melinda said, and it seemed that she didn't like to talk, but did so because other people liked to talk.

"No, I'm here to write an article. For Travel Magazine." He answered, flashing his notepad. 

"You're a journalist." She nodded, and asked. "What do you want to see?" 

"The clichés, the tourist traps are deffinantly not my favorite but I have to write an them anyway, the hole-in-the-wall spots, the places with real culture, and the hidden gems." He told her.

Melinda was silent for a few seconds.

"You seem like a real traveler, so you won't get offended easy, will you?" She squinted, and waited for his nod and rapt attention before continuing. "You want to see the hidden stuff, the treasures, then write about them and bring in the destructive tourists? What do you think tourist traps are for? To keep the tourists away from the good stuff and preserve it." She said.

"I don't want to destroy them, only make jobs like yours easier. If China seems like the best place to go for summer vacation next year, people will come. They are business and you know it." He nodded.

Melinda looked at him, a little defeated. "Yes."

"And so you're a guide." Phil tried to change the subject.

"Yes." Is all Melinda says, before the server delivers their plates. Once they had taken a few bites, she told him, "it pays well, I get my exercise, and I know this city limits the back of my hand." 

Phil nods, and the rest of dinner is slowly finished, Melinda keeping all discussion to small talk. When they end the meal, Phil reached for his wallet. It's not there.

It's back at the hotel.

And he would have a sore face from how many times he's cursed under his breath this evening.

Melinda realizes his problem, and rolls her eyes as she pays for the food. They leave, heading back to his hotel. "Melinda?" He asks.

"Yes?" They stop at a street, waiting to cross. 

"Is Melinda your name?"

"Yes. Are Asians not allowed to have American names?" May grins. Phil notices her real smile. She's joking with him.

"Thats not what I meant. And yes, name your kid whatever you want." He adds.

"It's just easier for the tourists to pronounce then my other name." She explains.

"What is it?" Phil is intrigued.

"Qialoian." She says.

Oh God. Could he say that correctly?

"Don't even try." She warns right as they cross the street.

"I'll pay you back tomorrow." He says when they reach the hotel door.

"We have all week. Don't stress." She nods, and pushes her hair from her shoulder. "Good night."

"Good night, Qialoian." He says.

She looks suprised. "Not bad." She mumbles, and nods before disappearing into the crowd.

Phil smiles to himself as he heads to his room. Arriving, Phil quickly spotted his wallet waiting patiently for this evening, and crashes onto the bed. He feels so stupid.

Pulling out his notepad, he turns to a fresh page to make some notes.

There, in neat, quick handwriting, 'Meet me at 7:45 (am!) in the lobby. -Melinda'

That night, he dreamed about a certain gorgeous Asian tour guide who left him notes.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Phil was ready at 7:30, and Melinda was there waiting patiently. He told her good morning, and Melinda returned the greeting. "You wanted to experience some culture? That's what we'll do today." She explained her idea of tackling one of his topics every day. 

Phil followed her again, jotting down notes on the city every now and then. Melinda lead him to one of the many city parks, and Phil saw a large class of people doing that weird series of arm/body movements and positions like he had seen many others do in clear spots in the streets. 

"Tai Chi. It centers the soul." Melinda said softly. She was obviously wanting to join in, and waited for his cue on interest or no interest.

Phil nodded, and Melinda asked if he wanted to join. He did. 

Standing on the side lines, Melinda took the stance of the others, and corrected Phil on his. "Think calm." She said, and effortlessly proceeded to preform the moves perfectly, Phil Phil wobbled and tried. He really did try.

"What did you think?" Melinda asked when the session was over. 

"I think it looked a bit like searching for a Wifi signal and slowly swatting mosquitos at the same time." He answered, and Melinda smirked a smile, and told him he needed practice to make it graceful.

They ate lunch at a spot Melinda showed him, and he almost cried from all the spices. May simply laughed, and ate a spoonful of the sauce to prove it was edible.

Day two, they hit the forbidden City, and several other tourist filled spots.

Day three were the hole-in-the-walls. They visited shops and small markets, Phil writing it all down.

Day four... The clichés. They took a bus out to the Great Wall, and for the afternoon, Melinda showed him the Summer Palace and the Temple of heaven.

It was on the fifth day when Phil found out more about his guide. Melinda had bumbed into one of her tourist guide friends, whom Melinda called Daisy. From what Phil understood, Daisy was waiting for the family who hired her to come out of some store.

The two women talked rapidly in Mandarin until Daisy introduced herself. 

"May's a good guide. You'll have fun." Daisy smiled, and side-hugged May.

"She's been very helpful." Phil nodded. 

"Enjoying China?" Daisy asked.

"Yes." Phil nodded.

"Good!" Daisy then flashed a smile before darting back to her spot to the store's door.

"Who's that?" Phil politely asked.

"Daisy is a friend of mine." Melinda nodded, her expression hoping to change the subject, which she did. "Anyway, during the Qin dynasty, which was first ruled by Emperor Qin Shi Huang..."

The week was drawing to a close, and Phil still hadn't told her he liked her. She had mentioned once that she had an ex-boyfriend, Andrew, and Phil was seriously starting to wonder if she was single.

Day six, they tackled the "hidden gems." 

Melinda took him to Peking's old Sino-French university, and several other spots, including Fayuansi. 

On the seventh, it was just quiet. They meet in the lobby of the hotel just like every morning, and tried to plan the day. They didn't have anything particular left on the list, and Phil was ready to get home. He didn't want to spend another minute with this beautiful, charming woman whom he could never be with. 

"Just my luck to be hired on the day of the Spring lantern Festival." Melinda mumbled, barely audible. 

"What?" Phil asked, and Melinda sighed. 

"Haven't you seen the decorations and celebrations going on all week? You came at quite an interesting time. Its the lantern festival tonight." Melinda explained.

"Oh." Phil had noticed the decor, he just had thought they were an all year round kinda thing. 

"Tonight, we'll go to the festivals." She said.

-:x:-

It was a plan. Phil and Melinda took the day off, Melinda making a joke about meeting her in the lobby at Six o'clock, not nine, and Phil went back to the room to write.

'China is a facinating country full of culture, millions of people, and a rich history that dates back thousands of years. Many of the traditions today are hundreds of years old, feuled by legends, religion, myths, and the respect of the ancestors. The people of China...' at this, Phil trailed off. He couldn't stop thinking of Melinda!

He tried again.

'the people of China are unique, holding onto their culture while leading the world into the modern age...'

Ugh. Phil needed to focus.

'-modern age. The architecture and design of their many cities, filled with millions of people, is astounding.'

Phil couldn't write! It was infuriating! Usually, the words guided him as they flowed into phrases and sentences and then paragraphs on the paper, but his article seemed dead. It held no... No purpose. It had no meaning to him.

And he couldn't write without a purpose.

So he switched to writing about Melinda.

He opened to a new page, and began. 

This time, he wrote with ease, describing her personality, snarkyness, name, beauty. And just who she was as a person. And what she meant to him after only a week.

She was going to become one of his regrets. A permanent 'what-if'.

And it hurt him. 

He wrote that too.

-:x:-

(That evening)

"Ready?" Melinda nodded, and as they walked out onto the street, Melinda explained the Spring lantern festival. Melinda explained that lanterns would be hung, lighting the streets, and fireworks would be set off. They would stop for the traditional meal of dumplings and then go see the launching. 

As evening set in, as expected the lanterns glowed to life, and people stood, packed in the square that Melinda had shown him. People danced in the traditional dragon costume, and Phil snapped a few pictures, and took some notes. 

They moved onto another square, overlap the harbor.

"They're going to release some lanterns." Melinda nodded in reference to the people preparing to light the paper cylinders. Chinese characters were printed on the side. "Riddles -and occasionally fortunes- are on the sides, promprting the viewers to solve them." Melinda told him.

Phil nodded, and quickly excused himeslf. He darted to the sidelines, and bought two small lanterns. Returning to his guide, he presented her with one. Melinda accepted it, and they barrowed somebody's lighter when everyone launched their lanterns.

Literally all they needed was the Tangled music. What was it, 'and at last I see the light'?

Well, he saw the light, -in Melinda's eyes. Ugh, there goes the lovestruck writer in him again.

They let tge lanterns into the sky, and Phil stood in wonder. He has seen the Eiffel tower and the Parthenon light up at night. He's seen Moscow on a winter's day. He's seen the northern lights. The Amazon and Nile rivers.

But nothing compares to Melinda, standing in a crowd, lit up with the light of thousands of lanters.

And he has to catch a plane tomorrow.

The mood drops.

Tomorrow, he's gone. 

Tomorrow, he will never cross paths with Melinda again.

Tonight, he wants to change that.

\------------ -:x:- ----------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, thats it! I wanna leave it to your imagination! Tell me what you think (should?) happens!
> 
> I know that the Spring lantern Festival is usually celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar. Or late February, early March. Any mistakes on it, i am deeply sorry. But this last part that was centered around the festival is especially influenced by the belief that the festival also serves as the Chinese Valentine's day. Thank you for reading!
> 
> -nightsisterkaris


End file.
